Step 2 - We believe that we must turn elsewhere for help

If Step 1 of my Carbonics Anonymous' programme is to acknowledge that we have failed so far to stop burning fossil fuels, where does Step 2 take us?

Albert Einstein pointed out that:

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them"

It's generally accepted that Einstein meant "problems in Physics" - that is, problems that arise when observations of natural phenomena appear to contradict theories that ought to explain them.

One of the problems Einstein tackled early in his career was the "photoelectric effect", where it was observed that metals bombarded with light give off electrons. The effect could be measured using a sensitive voltmeter, and the phenomenon is not explained by theories based on the wave characteristics of light. He proposed instead that light consists of units of energy or "quanta", and this led in turn to the principles of quantum mechanics, and eventually to today's mass production of solar photovoltaic panels.

At this point I must acknowledge that some steps in the AA's 12-step programme refer to God. I have deliberately adapted B F Skinner's humanist version for several reasons, but mainly to avoid any semblance of abdicating responsibility to a "deus ex machina" - the idea that somehow it will all turn out OK if we put our trust in the deity. (If it doesn't turn out, obviously that's because we didn't trust enough, and that approach sounds risky to me).

Nevertheless my own experience suggests that solutions to problems often appear after some kind of "letting go", sometimes by sleeping on them, or perhaps by taking time out to go for a walk. Here's a photo I took last Saturday:

I don't usually pick wild flowers, but this little posy on our table adds wonderment to every meal:

Step 2 simply acknowledges that we can't solve the problems created by burning fossil fuels with the kind of thinking that got us here. But what does it mean to "turn elsewhere"? Thinking about this led me to take a walk, and these pictures are reminders of how we might "turn elsewhere".

This in turn reminded me of long ago watching the film "To Be Alive" which was produced for the 1964/65 World Fair in New York. (This YouTube version doesn't have the fantastic colour and definition of the original, which was truly amazing in those days).

In the next blog, Step 3 will consider another place to turn.